The Marquess of Biduren
by headmaster lion who can talk
Summary: Resistance missions,, dark v. light conflicts, difficult feelings, wars in the stars, etc. etc. Annika jumps at the first opportunity she finds to do something with herself but things end up becoming more complicated than anyone had originally anticipated.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm Star Wars trash, welcome to my story. Obviously I don't own Star Wars.**

Not everyone as the same types of skills, that was for sure. Everyone's skills have different focuses and values, but during times of war some skills and abilities seemed much more valuable than others. Ace pilots like Poe, for instance, came in very handy. Sharp shooters like Finn were useful too, and Ray had the force, and of course General Organa was an incredible leader. From the perspective of a young woman wanting to be of some use that if you didn't have any of these things you were just in the way, so Annika usually felt in the way. It wasn't as if she was completely useless, she just didn't have many exploitable attributes for a time of war. Her brother told her that as long as she stood by in support then she was helping, but what did he know. As the skilled pilot he was he was useful to the resistance, Annika wasn't. Whenever Poe returned from resistance strategy meetings Annika demanded a full recap of everything. She was waiting for the day something came up she could actually help with. Part of her was convinced it would never happen, but something in her kept telling her to wait it out just another day. One day something had to come up that she could do, and when that day came she would be ready. Today when her brother returned, Annika was given a inkling of hope.

"They're thinking of sending in a spy. Purely reconnaissance, very long term. It's all very hypothetical though, they're not even sure where they'd put him. Stormtrooper seems like a fairly easy in, but the higher ups all want someone in real close with Kylo Ren and the others in charge over there. It'd take a while for any of our men to climb through the ranks. I don't think it'll be worth the trouble for how long we'd have to wait," Poe said, tinkering with the communicator in his flight helmet.

"Does someone have to go in as a stormtrooper?" Annika asked, sitting on top of her older brother's work bench.

"Where else are we gonna put a guy?"

"Well what if you sent a woman?"

"A woman as a stormtrooper? Same problem".

"It doesn't have to be a stormtrooper."

"That's the only in we've got that would be able to stay long term."

"What about some sort of politician or nobility or something like that?"

"Why would they stick around?

"Support. They could be someone of not too much power, someone who's powerful but not in charge. They left their country to support the dark side and look to the First Order for shelter and support."

This made Poe put down his helmet for a moment to think clearly. "So, what? We dress a guy up real fancy and send him to the First Order's doorstep to ask if he can stay aboard their ship and sit in their meetings?"

"No, you dress a woman up and have her do all of those things."

"Well why a woman specifically?"

"Because we have a woman who already looks elegant and regal and who wants to help. Plus it's easier to dress up a woman with what we have available."

Poe looked up at his sister, his eyes full of concern. "Annika, who do you have in mind?" He asks, all though he's afraid that he already knows the answer.

"Me," She replies, matter of factly.

Poe turns sharply to his sister and pulls her off of his bench. He held his sister by the shoulders. His little sister, barely nineteen, who he was responsible for out here. He stood a good bit taller than her as he looked down pleadingly into her eyes.

"Annika," He said, "Please don't. I know you want to help, but this isn't the way."

"Then what is?" She asked, "Because we've been here for a year and a half and I haven't found anything to do but sit here and hold the support flag. Meanwhile people keep showing up suddenly and out of nowhere and making themselves more useful that I've ever been able to here. This could be my chance."

"You're risking your life, Annika."

"And you're not? Every time you go out on a mission you aren't putting your own personal safety aside for a minute to do some good?"

"No, Annika," He said sternly, walking away from the bench.

"No you're not risking your life?"

"No you're not going."

"That's not for you to decide," Annika said. her brother stopped in his tracks. He took a moment to breathe before turning back to her.

"It's one thing for me to be up in the air armed and shielded, it's something else entirely to send you right into the hands of the First Order completely vulnerable."

"Well they have to send someone."

"Yeah, but it doesn't have to be you." He turned to leave again, but once again was stopped before he made it to the door.

"If it's not your sister it'll be someone else's. Or someone's brother, or their child, or their friend. I'm not going to pass this up when I really do think I'd be the best person for this. Think about it, Poe. Everyone's always saying I carry myself with such a sophistication, and I look like I could be part of some nobility. I'm sure we can find something to put me in. Besides if they do find me out I don't have any information to give them other than plans that have already been carried out. I'm quiet enough to sneak around, I'm a listener, I'm clever, I really think I can do this, Poe."

There was a long pause as Poe looked his sister over. He tried desperately to find some sort of fault with her plan but he came up short. She really was clever. As much as it pained him to send her into this alone Annika really did seem to be the one they were looking for.

"If I bring you to the generals with this and they say no then that's it, you're done." He said to her, his eyes still pleading for her to stay.

"And if they say yes?"

Poe sighed in defeat. "Then I guess I won't protest anymore.

Annika smiled and walked over to wrap her arms around her brother. She could tell he still wasn't happy, but she was. Finally she might have something to do other than watch over the home space her and her brother shared here. Finally she could make something of herself.


	2. Chapter 2

**I still don't own Star Wars, but I still am Star Wars trash. Enjoy.**

The generals and admirals and other planners and higher ups were skeptical at best when they were presented with this elaborate plan from a young woman they didn't know. Actually, unless they knew Poe outside the strategy meetings they hadn't even known Annika existed. It wasn't until General Organa expressed her support and began filling in more details with Annika that the others began to admit that it did have some promise.

"At this stage of their rebuilding the First Order will be looking for all the support they can get. If we send someone of nobility in, say a Marquess, they'll snap her up in a second, especially if she's clever and willing to talk strategy. Then we'll be here to accept any information that get's sent our way. We'll get you decorated like a real high class woman and send you in as soon as we can-"

"I'm sorry, General," One man said, "Did you say she would be going in? This...little girl we've never even heard of never mind trained? You can't possibly be serious."

"Well of course I'm serious," Was the General's response, "This young woman came up with the plan and by how uneasy her brother seems about it all I'm presuming she's offering herself up as our Marquess." She turned to Annika. "Is that right?"

"Yes," Annika said, standing as straight and looking as respectable and serious as she could, "I believe since I thought of the plan I would be the best to carry it out. Politics and nobility has always fascinated me, so I would easily be able to play the part intellectually, and I believe I look the part as well. Everyone else here already has a job and to send them away would leave their space empty, and since we have so few people capable of properly completing each specialized task and filling each specific position to send one of them away to do this job could be detrimental. Sending me would create no gaps in the system since I can't seem to make myself useful here. Having me infiltrate the First Order is easily the best option."

As soon as she stopped taking she felt an immediate shift in the energy. People were listening to what she was saying, and slowly, one by one they were beginning to agree. The way Annika laid it out she was clearly the one to send. The man who had spoken out against her going stepped closer to her and looked her up and down.

"How old are you, Miss Dameron?" He asked, trying very hard to disagree with her still.

"Nineteen," She said, meeting his judgmental gaze and not daring to look away.

"And you think you're ready to take on the First Order?"

"In this way, yes."

The man sighed. He was clearly not going to get her to back down. He returned to his earlier spot against the wall. "If you want to stumble into this and no one wants to object then so be it. Send the girl."

With that the decision was made, and so preparations had to follow.

It was decided that Annika Dameron would become Marquess Annika Sirdune of Biduren. The resistance had allies from Biduren who still upheld nobility ranks, most of which were simply for the pomp and circumstance of it but they got the job done. The next task was to make her look the part. They would never believe a Marquess that didn't look noble.

Annika's dark hair was twisted into a long braid that fell down the middle of her back to her waist. The braid was then wrapped into a tight bun and secured. Her face was painted to make her look more refined and elegant, with her big and captivating eyes framed well. When Annika saw her reflection she was intrigued; she knew she was reasonably pretty, people had told her so, but now she looked lovely and elegant. She truly fit the part. While this was all being completed there was a bit of a skirmish over what she should wear.

"We can't put her in a gown, she's leaving home and crossing the galaxy."

"Well how else can she be totally convincing as nobility?"

"She should at least be in some sort of dress."

"Don't worry," General Organa said, entering the room with box in her hand, "I've got some things she can try. I once wore these dresses as a princess traversing the galaxy, so I think it's safe to say they're usable. Why don't you have a look through those, Annika.

When Annika had been properly dressed and made up there was no question she could be taken as a Marquess. She not only looked elegant, but the dress and styling showed how she always stood pin straight and held herself with sophistication. Those things get fairly lost when you're covered in dirt and wearing thin, gauzy frocks all the time.

"You're sure you want to do this?" Her brother asked her, actually believing in Annika's plan in spite of himself.

"I'm positive," She replied, wrapping him into a tight hug.

They stood like that for a while, neither really wanting to let the other go. They each had the knowledge plugging at the back of their minds that they won't get to see each other for a very long time, and the slight fear they might not see each other again ever. When they finally let go Poe looked down at his little sister.

"You remember how to fly that thing?" He asked, nodding towards the small ship from Biduren Annika would be taking to the First Order's main base.

"Of course," She said, "You taught me how to at least four times since this morning."

Poe smiled at his sister. She really did look radiant, and she always seemed to be more clever than he expected. If anyone could do this he knew it was her. But that didn't mean he wanted her to go.

"You be careful, okay? We already lost mom and dad, I don't think I could handle losing you too. I don't think I could live with myself."

"I'll be as careful as you promise to be. Keep in mind that as nervous as you feel now is how I feel every time you fly off guns blazing, which is often, so I kind of owe you one."

Poe smiled and hugged her one more time before she walked off towards the small one person ship that would take her to what was sure to be the greatest adventure of her life.


	3. Chapter 3

**Still trash, still own nothing. Same old same old.**

He was just wrapping his cape around his shoulders when there was a knock at the door. He pulled the black mask over his face and let the messenger in.

"Sir, there is a woman here, General Hux wishes you to speak with her."

"Why? Who is this woman, why is she here?"

"She claims to be a Marquess sr, she wishes to stay here but it's unclear why. We were hoping you could verify that she is who she says she is."

"So be it," He said, "Take me to this woman.

Across the base Annika stood under the gaze of general Hux. She'd been searched and questioned, now they were just waiting on Kylo Ren himself. This was the true test. Annika had been preparing herself the whole journey here. If Kylo Ren read her mind and found out who Annika really was then she would be dead in seconds. She couldn't let it come to that. She had to convince him to trust her without having to look inside her.

He turned the corner, cape catching the movement and trailing behind him. This was it, the moment she had been waiting for. She straightened up an extra inch and tilted her head down slightly to present her most sophisticated angle.

"So, you're the woman I've been hearing about," Kylo said. Annika was told he spoke mechanically, but she wasn't expecting him to sound like that. Then again, she wasn't exactly sure what she thought he would sound like.

"That depends," She said, trying to keep her voice steady, "What have you heard?"

He came to a stop very close in front of Annika, closer than she had expected. He was significantly taller than her and she was forced to look up in order to still be looking at him.

"Only that you claim to be a Marquess of some sort and you wish to stay. I was hoping you would be able to fill me in on the other details."

"Well I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have, but as I've told your general I would prefer to do so in private. I don't believe it's the business of every last pilot and storm trooper why I chose to leave my home."

Kylo Ren looked down at the woman before him. He took in every detail from the way the pale off white of her dress glowed against her tan skin, to how small she was in stature, to her deep brown eyes that were clearly afraid. No matter how clearly she spoke and how straight she stood she couldn't hide the fear in her eyes. She was trying to be strong and hold out, but she was afraid. Was this because she truly did flee her home, or was she hiding some bigger secret behind those captivating eyes of hers?

"Very well," He spoke finally, "We shall go to a separate room and you will explain to me why you've come to us. You will follow me."

With that Kylo Ren took off down the hall, moving with purpose. Annika tilted her head back down and followed him, able to effortlessly match his pace. He took her down many hallways and around so many corners that Annika lost track of where they'd gone and wondered if Kylo was leading them in circles. The longer they walked the more Annika thought they might be en route to some trap or a cell, but just as she began to get really nervous they came to a room with a large table. Kylo Ren waved a hand and one of the chairs slid out for Annika to sit. He sat across from her. For a long while neither of them spoke. Annika had to bite her tongue to refrain from asking him sarcastically who was supposed to speak first like her brother would've done. Finally the silence was broken.

"Tell me," Kylo Ren spoke, "Why have you come to us.

Annika took a moment to prepare herself before answering. "I am the Marquess Annika Sirdune of Biduren," She said, "I have left my home to join with the first order."

"That doesn't tell me why you came."

"Yes it has, I'm here to join with the Order. I believe in what you stand for and I wish to help anyway that I can."

"Help from Biduren? They're under the Republic, Resistance sympathisers. Why should I trust that you aren't a spy?"

"Why would anyone send a young woman alone into a place like this? I haven't been trained for anything, I can't fight, I could barely pilot the ship that took me here. I stole it. I know that my home supports the Republic and the Resistance, but I don't so I left. I came to the one place I knew someone like me could be of some use."

"If you truly wanted to help we could've used you as a spy."

"You're all having a hard time deciding whether to trust me or not, I can feel it. If I had sent you a transmission you would never have trusted it, not for a second. Besides that I couldn't stay at home. They were moving me to the cells in the morning. They could see I wasn't with them. They all began to doubt whose side I was really on. With just cause, I suppose."

"So you left? Were you really so sure we'd take you in?"

"Of course not, but there was nothing I could do sitting there in a cell on Biduren.I figured my best shot at what I wanted was to at least try to come here."

"And what exactly is it that you want?"

Annika tilted her head even further down to let a sort of darkness fall across her features. "I want what you do," She said, "I want to explore my full potential. I don't want to be ruled by fear, I want to be able to use it. I want an opportunity. The Republic couldn't give me what I was looking for. They never put me to use, they just threw me aside and said they'd get to me eventually. The most I could do was sit there and look pretty while I pretended I didn't mind being ignored for all I was worth. I thought maybe you could suit me better."

As the woman spoke Kylo Ren watched her eyes carefully. He saw the fear draining away as darkness took it's place. How he longed to have such conviction. This woman sat in front of him completely unarmed and presented him with a story and in spite of his better judgement he wanted to trust her. Perhaps she isn't quite who she says she is, perhaps she is. That didn't matter to him right now, all that he cared about was he pure and raw dedication to the dark side, a dedication she didn't seem completely aware of. Kylo stood abruptly and walked towards the exit. The woman stood as he walked past, her eyes still showing a spark of passion buried under her sudden confusion.

"I will send someone to lead you to where you will stay," He said as he exited the room, leaving Annika to breath a sigh of relief.


	4. Chapter 4

**Still trash and all, still don't own Star Wars. I added some stormpilot stuff for my friend, all though I can't say I don't personally entertain the possibility.**

It was tearing Poe up inside to know his little sister was out there somewhere heading straight towards the first order. When they had lost their parents, Poe took it upon himself to keep his sister safe. It was only partially for her though; part of him knew that he wouldn't be able to handle it if he lost her. Poe Dameron had seen a lot in his time as a pilot, and he took pride in his own personal strength, but he knew he had a weakness. Well it was actually more like many weaknesses, one for everyone he cared about, but the biggest one as by far his little sister. She was only nineteen and he let her go seek out the first order. Now he was beating himself up over what might happen to her. It was Finn that went to find him hauled up in his room with emptied flasks and bottles littering the floor by his feet.

"Poe, you've got to stop this man," Finn said, sitting by the other man's side.

"No, I can't" Poe slurred, "She's my sister, she's in trouble. I let her go, I shouldn't've let her go."

"You saw her, no one was talking her down from that. Not you, not the generals, not anyone. There was nothing you could've done."

Poe sood suddenly, steadying himself against the wall. "So she's out there in danger and I couldn't even have prevented it, great, some brother I am." He stormed off into the work room where his helmet still sat unfixed on his work table. Finn followed diligently behind.

"She'll be fine, Poe. You heard her plan, it was brilliant. They'll send her right to Kylo Ren where she'll play off his weaknesses and stay safe. She will be safe."

"You don't know that," Poe blared, turning suddenly and sloppily to his friend. "She's in their hands, they could be doing anything to her. What if that monster looked into her mind after all? What if she's found out? What if we were wrong? I've felt what he can do, I can't bare to think what he could do to her."

His words trailed into tears as Poe gave into the fear he'd been trying to hide. Pow was the master of putting on a brave face, especially for his sister, but now the only thing left of his old life was at the mercy of Kylo Ren and he wasn't there to protect her. In fact there was no way he could help her in the slightest. He ran his hands over his face and through his hair, desperately want to stop crying, but before he could he felt Finn's arms wrapping around him and pulling him closer. Poe accepted the embrace and wrapped his arms around Finn, burying his face in Finn's shoulder.

"She'll be okay, Poe. She's stronger than you've been able to see. I've seen her working while you've been in there taking plans. She was the right person to send and as much as you're hurting I know you know that."

At this point the weakness was beyond stopping, but Poe felt for once that maybe it was okay to be weak. It was okay to let someone else hold you up sometimes. Poe always felt like he needed to be strong for those around him and had trouble accepting support, but Finn brought something different out of him. Poe was just starting to feel better about the situation when an entirely new thought entered his head.

"What if he gets through to her?" He said, his words muffled by Finn's embrace.

"What?" Finn asked, pulling away.

"I said what if he actually gets through to her? What if he takes her down his path with him?"

The room she had been lead to was small. There was a bed, a bathroom, and what looked to be a case for some sort of armor, but that was it. It reminded Annika of the limited space they had at home and she was actually a bit relieved. She wouldn't have known how to behave in a large room.

"Apologies for the size, but it was the only room readily available," The stormtrooper who lead her their said.

Annika put on an air of slight aggravation. "Well if it all there is I'm sure I'll be able to make do. Leave me," she said, waving her hand for the stormtrooper to exit.

"Very well, Miss." The stormtrooper dipped their head in a bow and exited the room, the door sliding shut behind them.

Annika sat on the small bed and took her first moment to breath calmly since being on the ship. She was safe for now. Now that's not to say that she couldn't be found out tomorrow, or next week, or next month, but it did mean she could take a moment to herself now. The area she'd been taken to was strange, lots of uniform doors with codes of some sort on them. The code from this door was on the wall too.

FN-2187.

The code and what it meant was the last thing on Annika's mind before she drifted into an uneasy sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, I hope your day is going well. Have another chapter based on a thing I am trash of that I don't own.**

Waking up the next morning was a strange sensation. Annika knew where she was and everything, the room didn't startle her, but the strange part was she didn't know what to do. She was often at a loss for what to do at home, but then at least she knew what her options were. Here she didn't know where any of the lines were. What did the First Order do on days between battles? Annika decided to comb through her hair while she tried to figure out what to do. Just as she had completely undone the braid there was a knock at her door. She opened it to see that one general from the day before.

'Hux? Was that his name?' She thought to herself.

"Good morning Miss, we do hope you've slept well and that you've found the room, while small, to your satisfaction?" He said rather emotionlessly.

"It will do," Annika replied, hoping this was an adequate answer. All though with Hux it felt like nothing would be adequate.

"Well," He said, "If the Marquess is prepared to do so, I have been asked to show you around the First Order. Where you may go, where you may not." He didn't seem very eager to be showing her anything really.

"That sounds lovely," Annika said with a vaguely sarcastic smile which Hux returned with even more sarcasm.

The base was very large. It wasn't quite the starkiller, but it was bigger than anything Annika had ever seen. The halls were filled with patrolling stormtroopers, and since meeting Finn Annika wondered who could be under those masks. A few of the doors they passed were left undiscussed, and of the ones Hux did explain several were still restricted. You could tell the whole time he didn't want to be with Annika; everything he said was sarcastic, emotionless, and occasionally vaguely insulting. Hux finally led the young woman to the First Order's version of the Resistance's strategy room. When they were outside the door the general turned abruptly on his heels.

"This is where we discuss any upcoming plans or strategies. You may be called to some meetings if you have been deemed potentially useful. You have not been called to the meeting that will be beginning momentarily, I, however, have. It is my sincerest hope that you've found this tour to be informative, and I wish you a safe trip back to your room. Good day." With that he disappeared behind the door that shut in Annika's face behind him.

Annika turned to go back to the room she was given before realizing something: She had no idea how to get back. They'd come down so many halls and around so many turns that she'd completely lost track.

'Well,' She thought to herself, 'I guess I'll just try to retrace our steps.'

Annika set off down the way they came trying to remember the maze-like path Hux had brought her down. To be honest Annika wasn't paying any attention to the paths and turns they were taking during the tour, she was too busy taking in this big new world around her. Poe always laughed at the way she looked at the things around her while she walked instead of watching where she was going. He said it was a wonder she didn't walk into anything or trip. As she was walking her mind slipped out of thoughts about the halls and the rooms and all the dark metals that made up the base where she was. Her mind drifted to her mission, namely her encounter with Kylo Ren from the day before.

'He didn't read my mind,' She thought absentmindedly, 'It's good for us that he didn't, and it mens the plan worked, but it's strange. What's even stranger is that I was so sure he wouldn't before and now after I'm so confused as to why. Was I really that believable? Was I that persuasive and trustworthy? I suppose I did convince everyone back home to let me do this...but it still feels strange. Could he have done it without me knowing? No, of course not. Poe said it was incredibly painful, I would've noticed it. Besides, if he had known who I really was he wouldn't have let me stay here. Right?'

Annika's thoughts on Kylo Ren came to a halt. She came to a hallway with walls only on one side and a set of glass windows on the other. She knew for sure she was lost now, she'd never seen this before. Through the window was a sea of white armor. Stormtroopers filled the room doing all sorts of things, training it looked like. Something about the uniformity to this chaos was mesmerizing. Annika got so lost it taking it all in that she didn't even notice the footsteps behind her. The sudden mechanical voice made her jump.

"I hope you have found everything here to your liking," Kylo said, coming up next to Annika and watching the stormtroopers through the window beside her.

"It's all very impressive," she said, regaining her composure. "All though General Hux didn't seem very interested in talking too much about any of it, I don't think I really remember any of the rooms or areas except for the strategy room where he left me."

"Are you wandering about to refresh your memory?" He asked.

'How long has he been following me?' Annika wondered before responding. "No, I've been trying to find my way back to the room I was given, I seem to have gotten lost...and a bit distracted." She turned back to the spectacle on the other side of the window.

"Yes, they are quite impressive, aren't they? But come, I will take you where you need to go." With that Kylo Ren turned and led Annika quickly through even more halls and around even more corners. Annika tried to pay attention this time; she wanted to be able to return to the hall with the windows sometime. However, when it seemed they had reached their destination it was not Annika's room. In fact she didn't know what room it was. She looked up to Kylo Ren quizzically.

"The General in all his disinterest most likely neglected to lead you here on your tour," He said. "This is where you can come to eat. I believe you haven't had a chance to do so since your arrival. You may come here any time. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some separate matters to attend to." He turned to leave but Annika called after him.

"How can I get back to my room?"

"Any of the patrolling stormtroopers should be able to lead you to your room when you wish to return if you simply give them the code," He said before disappearing behind another bend.

He was different than Annika expected.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello again, same stuff as I've said before every chapter about trash and ownership**

In the days that followed Annika found herself returning to the hall with the windows. She would begin by going through the halls trying to generate a mental map of where she was but her mind would always drift and her feet would take her back to the chaos. She would stand there for hours just watching through the windows as the stormtroopers worked on the other side.

'I should be horrified. Outraged. Terrified. Something besides this,' She thought. After all, those were all people. Every last one of them was a real, tangible person pulled from their family and raised to fight blindly to defend this concept that had been forced upon them so heavily that they didn't even know anything else. All they saw outside of these walls was war and death and pain. Annika's mind drifted back home to Finn who was their friend, a fellow member of the resistance, and mere months ago a stormtrooper on the other side of this glass. Annika though about Finn as often as she though about her brother. The way they looked at each other was unmistakable, and what those two now have is something that the people behind the glass are likely to never see. But regardless of how often Annika thought of these things and how awful she should feel for the lives these people would never get to live, she couldn't seem to pull away her gaze. There was just something inconceivably mesmerizing about the sea of white stormtroopers ebbing and flowing against the vast white walls. Annika couldn't place exactly what hypnotized her so much, but it wasn't fear, sadness, anger, or any of the things she kept telling herself she should be feeling. Instead she felt numb from the minute she caught a glimpse of the now familiar hallway to the minute hunger or fatigue convinced her to step away. She felt vaguely drained by watching them.

Three days after she had arrived at the base of the First Order she found herself watching through the windows once again when something new happened.

"What are you doing here?" Came the voice from one of the hall's two entrances. Annika knew it was general Hux before she even turned to face him. "You're not supposed to be here," He said, "This wasn't on our tour."

"The stormtroopers always seem incredibly well trained whenever I've seen any conflicts, I wanted to see where it was done," She responded coolly turning back to the windows. She didn't flash Hux so much as a shadow of a smile. She could tell that someone like him wasn't interested in that sort of thing.

"Charming as that may be, you're still not permitted to be here, I'll have to ask you to leave," He said, beginning to usher her away.

"Well I disagree, Kylo Ren himself accompanied me here the first time I saw this hall." It wasn't exactly a lie, he did follow her there, and they did talk together by the window. He certainly didn't stop her from wandering down here or tell her she couldn't come back. The general seemed a bit taken aback by this, all though he was trying not to show it.

"Have you had many meetings with Kylo Ren?" He asked her.

"I've had enough, considering the short time I've been here. I expect we'll be having more." As she spoke Annika didn't look at the general. She watched the stormtroopers through the windows, but she could see from the corner of her eye that Hux was displeased with her answer.

"Well," He began, "Be that as it may, I will have to ask you to vacate this area for now. And I don't think it would be wise for you to return here until you are told you have clearance.

"My apologies, general, I was under the impression that Kylo Ren gave me that clearance when he accompanied me here and didn't tell me to leave or not to return," She said turning to the general, holding her head very high and with a slight air of indignance.

"Kylo Ren is not in charge of enforcing rules or giving such clearances," General Hux spat. There was an acidity to the way he said Kylo Ren. "Now If you would kindly leave, I do have somewhere else to be."

"Of course," Annika said, with a smile that was just a bit to syrupy. She turned to start down the hallway, calling over her shoulder "Anything to accommodate the dear general."

Annika walked quickly to her room, a bit unsure what had made her feel so bold. Hux could have her thrown out in an instant as far as she knew, but something told Annika that wouldn't happen. It wasn't up to him. Anyways something about Hux rubbed her the wrong way. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was about him, but Annika didn't like him. In retrospect that was a strange thing to be thinking while in a very large space station full of the first order, namely Kylo Ren himself, but Annika disliked Kylo more out of fear. General Hux was just pretentious and obnoxious. She wouldn't like Hux even if he was a general for the Resistance.

After a while Annika decided to get something to eat. As she was going through the halls on her way there she saw a familiar long black cape rounding a corner coming towards her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello there, simple Star Wars trash who doesn't own anything here.**

If General Hux seemed upset that Kylo had been speaking with Annika he would have absolutely lost it if he knew they were sharing a meal in the room Kylo used. Kylo didn't care for eating with the other crew members, but he was interested in seeing Annika again. There was something about her he couldn't shake, and he couldn't quite place why whatever it was was so interesting to him. When he had first seen her on the ship he hadn't thought anything about her at all. After all what interest could this young woman possibly be to him? Then during their first meeting he saw exactly how useful she could be. There was a spark behind her eyes, some passion that just sort of flickered inside her that with the right prompting could easily become a flame. Kylo knew that his guidance could make that flame very useful to the First Order. There was the possibility she was lying about who she was, and all though Kylo could easily find out the truth he didn't see that it mattered. Who she was and where she came from was of little importance next to the great potential he saw in her. The next time he saw her she was wandering the halls. You could figure fairly quickly that she was lost since the ship was large and the time she had spent there was brief, but regardless he followed her. She found her way to the stormtrooper corridor and stood at the window watching for quite some time. She was utterly captivated. He stood watching her for a moment. She stood in stark contrast to the room full of soldiers. A serene and delicate woman with long waves of dark hair and passion in her eyes staring into a sea of heavy white stormtroopers.

Today as he turned a corner he came upon Annika again and decided that he would have to talk to her again. He had more questions and wanted to continue exploring that spark he saw. So he invited her to join him in his room as they ate. She was following closely behind him through the halls, matching his long strides with her quickness of pace. When the two arrived Kylo pulled out a chair at a small table and gestured for Annika to sit before pushing it in under her. The table was really only meant for one, but it would be able to fit two just fine.

Kylo crossed to room to his dressing table and lowered his hood. His hands moved instinctively to his mask to remove it, but as they reached the edge he hesitated a moment. He shook off the strange and inexplicable feeling that had momentarily brushed over him and removed the mask, setting it down carefully down before joining Annika at the table. He sat quietly eating for a moment watching Annika as she studied his face.

"Is there something wrong?" He asked her.

"No. You're just different than I expected," She said, finally turning to the food in front of her. "I've been finding that seems to be the case."

"Is that a problem?"

"No, I just find it interesting."

"Hm," Kylo pondered this for a moment before meeting Annika's quizzical gaze. "It seems you and I may have a mutual interest in each other."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, I believe it is. You see, There's something in you, I can see it. I believe the best thing you could've done was come to us."

"It's a good thing I did then," Annika said. She was confused and vaguely nervous about Kylo Ren saying that to her. Almost nothing here was going as they had expected, and while nothing bad had happened Annika couldn't help but feel a bit weary. She seemed to have the full approval of Kylo Ren, which was more than they had expected, and she had been accepted onto the ship as the Marquess, which is what they had wanted, but she had yet to be asked into any planning meetings or any sort of discussions, which is what they needed to happen. She had sent a transmission to the Resistance saying she was aboard the ship safely, but since then she had nothing to say at all aside from the large number of stormtroopers they already knew about from Finn. Now Kylo Ren seemed to have some sort of plan for her.

"I'll say," He said, "I think you have great potential."

"Do I?" Annika asked genuinely. She wasn't used to hearing things like that. She was more used to things along the lines of 'We'll find something you can do eventually.'

"Does this surprise you?" Kylo glanced up at her with curiosity.

"Yes, actually. I've never seemed to be of much use where I'm from. I was never anything special at the jobs they tried me in."

"Well then perhaps they were giving you the wrong jobs. Perhaps they should've been looking at what you have and what you can do then creating space for you based on that. You've got passion, and I would like to see what it's for. It could be something of great use to all of us."

Annika turned his words over in her mind for a while. "Yes, I suppose it could."

They ate in comfortable silence for a while before Kylo spoke again.

"I went through the stormtrooper's corridor a while ago. I thought you might be there, but you weren't You seemed so captivated, I though you would return."

"You must have just missed me. I've been trying to find my way back through the areas General Hux showed me the other day, but I always seem to wind up back there. General Hux spotted me there this morning and said I wasn't permitted to be there."

"Well, He's not incorrect in saying that."

Now Annika was even more confused then when she'd been told to leave. "If I'm not allowed there why didn't you stop me when you followed me there or tell me not to return when we left?"

"So you were aware I was following you?"

"Yes," Annika smiled, "But that still doesn't answer my question.

"Well," He began, "For one thing I've never much cared for many of Hux's rules and I don't see why you shouldn't be allowed to watch our stormtroopers. The general is convinced you might be a spy." At this Kylo met Annika's eyes with such an intensity that her breath caught silently in her throat.

She concentrated on keeping her voice and face steady as she responded. "And what do you think about that?" She asked him, not breaking eye contact.

"I believe that if you were you would either get yourself captured eventually or see things from our point of view."

"Well it's a good thing I'm not a spy then," Annika said, hoping her face wasn't flushing, "That way sounds easiest for everyone."

"I'm glad you agree, Annika," He said, still not looking away. As Annika looked back into his dark eyes it registered that that was the first time anyone here had used her name.


	8. Chapter 8

**I saw Force Awakens again the other day. The chapters have been getting a little more spread out, and they'll probably continue to spread out a little but. I just want to make sure the plot is going in a good direction and the story keeps up a decent quality. I don't won it, still Star Wars trash, blah blah blah I just really like space, bye.**

Annika sat in her room waiting to hear the knock at the door. She had spent her first few days with the First Order not doing much, mostly finding her footing, but her most recent encounter with Kylo Ren made her feel like she needed to be at least a little more proactive. So she decided to try to make a move.

"Yes?" She called when the knock finally came.

The door slid open to reveal General Hux who promptly entered as Annika stood.

"Before we begin I would like you to know that while I agreed to come here this time I do not take kindly to being told what to do by guests and will not be doing so again."

"Well," Annika said, putting on her best passive aggressive smile, "That might make this conversation a bit more difficult, then. I wanted to tell you that I will be attending all of the daily strategy and planning meetings from now on."

"I'm afraid I can't permit-"

"Oh, I wasn't asking permission." She said as Hux fell silent, taken aback by the young woman's brashness. "I was asking for the room number."

"And if I refuse to give it to you?"

"Well, I do have other ways to get it. As you know there are other very important people here that I've been talking to."

"He's not as important here as he thinks."

"That's funny, that's what people have been saying about you."

At that comment the Hux's face lit up with just barely contained anger at this small, insignificant woman who was under the impression she could speak to a general that way.

"Miss Sirdune-" He started.

"Please, Marquess will do just fine," Annika interjected.

"Marquess," Hux corrected himself. You could practically feel the acid dripping from his voice. "I don't know what illusions of significance you seem to have but your presence here is of very little impact to the First Order. You may remain here as long as you don't pose a threat to our operations, but strutting in here and making demands will not be tolerated. While you are here you will abide by our rules and you will know your place."

"'Know your place, little girl.'" Annika snapped. She began slowly circling around the General. "I've heard that almost every day of my life. Not a moment has gon by where I wasn't told that there just wasn't something I could do to be of use. Because I didn't hold one of their positions that meant I was nothing, and nothings shouldn't talk too much. They always said they would call me in when they thought I would be useful, just as you did, but they never called me in. I don't suspect you'll be calling me in anytime soon either. Do you know why, General Hux?"

"Why is that...Marquess?"

"Because if you never bother to find out what I know and what use I can be then you'll never be able to know when I'll be of use, and then you'll never call me in." She stopped circling him and sat down on her bed. "So I'll be attending the meetings."

"And if I still refuse to give you the room? Or if I have you escorted out?"

"Oh, I've already had my attendance arrangements taken care of. I won't be escorted out. And should you still refuse to tell me where it is there are others I can go to, not just Kylo Ren, all though he's already offered to escort me there himself."

"Then why did you even call me in to have this conversation?" Hux asked, visually aggravated.

Annika flashed her smuggest smile. "I knew you would object and I would have to argue my case. I thought I spare you the public embarrassment of being told off by the 'useless little girl' as I've been told you like to call me. You can go now."

General Hux turned absolutely red both from embarrassment and anger. He wanted badly to tell the Marquess off for her incredible nerve and disrespect, but for the life of him he couldn't think of anything to say to this foolishly brash young woman. He hated her even more for it. He turned and stormed out of her room, dreading seeing her in a meeting the next day. If she was going though, he wouldn't give her the satisfaction of telling her the room to go to, even if he knew she had other ways of finding it out. He didn't want her to think he was giving in in any way.

Annika stared at the door for a moment after he left feeling incredibly clever.


	9. Chapter 9

**It snowed this weekend. You know the deal.**

Kylo Ren waited in the stormtrooper corridor for Annika. When she had expressed a desire to attend strategy meetings the previous day he took care of all the arrangements. He wanted to see just what she could do for them. There was a certain cleverness and savvy to the way she speaks and carries herself that seems to suggest a past experience. At the time it seemed like a no brainer; Of course she would attend the meetings, why wasn't she already? Now, however, he found himself trying to subdue a vague feeling of uneasiness. He wanted he to be useful and adept, but other than his intuition Kylo had no reason to believe that she was. If she proved useful and competent in the meeting today then this could be the first step to fan her spark into a flame. If she showed even a moment of being any less then certain people would tear her to shreds. People would doubt her, and Hux would make for certain that she never made it into another meeting again. He figured it was nothing, but Kylo Ren was nervous for Annika. He told himself it was because she could do incredible things in the name of the first order if she was given enough opportunity.

Annika swept around the corner with an air of confidence about her It was partially from knowing exactly where she was going and not wandering aimlessly, but also because she knew that if you didn't seem confident in yourself then people like this would see you as incompetent. There would likely be no second chance here, and even if there was then it wouldn't amount to nearly as much as today's meeting could. As Annika entered the hall with the windows, she saw Kylo Ren waiting for her. It was strange looking at him now that she had really seen him. She pictured the dark eyes that stared back into her own, and she played back the deep, calming voice that spoke to her. She had expected him to be terrifying, menacing, or threatening, but he wasn't. There was a sweetness to the way he looked that puzzled Annika. We picture the villains in stories as ominous or deformed. We want them to be clearly and definitively bad so we can hate them. We don't expect them to be inviting and accepting and even a bit kind. What could've turned this man into what he is?

The two exchanged greetings and Kylo lead the young woman to the room where the meeting would be held. As usual she matched his quick pace easily. She twisted the end of her long, dark braid between her fingers as they walked to ebb the slight nerves that rose inside her. After many twists and turns, the pair reached a door. Kylo hesitated before entering. He turned to Annika for a moment before entering.

"Best of luck," He said.

"Thank you," She replied with a very sweet smile. It was surprisingly comforting to hear.

They entered the room and Kylo pulled out a chair for Annika to sit before taking the seat next to her. General Hux sat at the other side of the large, round table splitting his time between scowling at Annika and at Kylo. The meeting was called to order, and discussions began. This was Annika's moment to prove herself.

She was a natural. Kylo was glad to say that his intuition about the young woman was right. She spoke up just enough, making intelligent points and observations without being overbearing or imposing. She spoke clearly and with purpose, not wasting a moment of time. Kylo felt all together relieved and impressed at Annika's performance and ability to speak and captivate.

"We don't care if it's assured death for the squadron we send in, they're stormtroopers. You've insisted upon defying our rules to see how many we have at our disposal," Hux said, countering Annika's disagreement with his plan. You could tell that he was trying to turn the room against her.

"You've got plenty now, that's true, but if you continuously throw them away on small, insignificant missions like this with no worthwhile goal then you won't have plenty for very long," She said. Hux was furious, but the rest of the room seemed to agree with Annika.

"Well," Hux said, "You'll have to excuse me if I don't take military advice from a young Marquess with no discernable experience."

"I'll have to agree with her," Captain Phasma said, "If we continue to build up our forces then the next time we face off against the Resistance they won't stand a chance. There's no reason to be throwing troops away if we don't have to."

Annika was glad for the time she spent talking about strategies with Poe back home. She was able to hold her own here and show that she had some worth. She had mixed feelings about helping them with their plans, but this way they all seemed to feel more at ease about her. Hux still didn't like her, but she didn't like Hux so Annika figured there wasn't much harm done, especially if everyone else was now more firmly on her side. Now she would also have more insight to send back home. Overall, Annika felt like what she was doing was justified.

Kylo didn't say much during the meeting. He was instead preoccupied watching the spark inside their lovely guest start to blossom. He enjoyed watching her speak. There was something about the way her whole face lit up when everyone began to warm up to her that was captivating. There had always been something about the young woman that had subconsciously intrigued him, but until now he hadn't been able to figure out what exactly it was. Now he could see it very clearly. Kylo was intrigued so much by Annika, not just for her potential, but also because she had something that he did not: Control. She was completely in control of her every word and movement without even seeming to notice. There was also something in the way she spoke, so eloquent and clear, that seemed to control those around her to some extent. She was persuasive. Even if you didn't agree with or like her, like General Hux, she brought you to a point where you couldn't argue with what she was saying. Kylo realized just how right he was to think that the he and Annika could become mutually beneficial to one another.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello, have some more trash I don't own**

"You sent who where?" Rey said. She had just gotten back from getting Luke back and she had gone to see if Finn had recovered. She found Finn with Poe, who was pouring over one of the devices that received covert transmissions. Poe was extremely nervous, which seemed rather out of character for him. Poe was beside himself, so Finn explained about Annika and her mission.

"Annika Dameron, she's Poe's sister," Finn said, trying to stay calm enough to calm Rey down, but between the transmission Poe received and Rey's clear anger and disapproval it was very difficult.

"Yes, you said that but who is she? What does she do? Is she even trained?" Rey asked, voice raising.

"No, but-"

"No? She's not even trained? Did everyone lose their minds?"

"Yes, I know, it sounds crazy, but everyone agreed that she was the best person for the job."

"Really, because Poe doesn't seem to agree."

"She went through Poe first, he brought her to the General."

"So it was a real, thought out, and approved plan to send an untrained little girl right into the hands of the first order?

"She's not a little girl," Poe said softly. Rey and Finn both turned to him. "She's nineteen, and she's seen a lot already. She's a young woman, and whether or not I like it or you agree with it she was the best. She's incredibly clever, more than she seems. We talk strategy all the time, I've brought ideas she and I have hashed out to the General before. On top of everything, we needed someone who doesn't look like they see the end of blaster or the underside of an x-wing every day. She stays here mostly, and she looks pretty enough to be the character she's playing. She was the one we needed to send, and she's been waiting for a chance to show she can fight and she can do something of use. It keeps me up at night knowing she's over there on her own, and we've all been just a little more on edge lately, but if that's what it takes then I'm willing to take it."

"Poe, she could die," Rey said. She never had a family, and Finn was taken by the first order at birth. Poe lost his parents years back, but he'd always had Annika. They'd always had each other. it was unfathomable to Rey that if he had someone like that he would let her into the hands of those horrible people and their lowlife leader Kylo Ren. Rey just couldn't understand.

"I know that, Rey. She knows that we all know that. But we could all die here. I fly out on any and all missions I can get no matter what the risk if I do that I've got no right to keep her here. And anyway it's not my place to keep her out of lock and key."

Rey still didn't like it, but she could tell Poe wasn't going to relent. Not now at least. Anyway, it was too late to get her back without endangering her even more.

"How old is she?" Rey asked.

"She'll be twenty in a few days."

Rey sighed angrily. "Did you get a transmission?"

"Yeah," Finn said, "She sent one in this morning."

"What did it say?"

"She's going to their strategy meeting today, she's hoping to go to more."

"Really? How long's she been there?"

"A few days," Poe said.

'That was quick,' Rey thought. She didn't want to say anything to show possible support. Unfortunately, Finn saw through her.

"Yeah, she's pretty good," He said.

"How'd she even get in so quickly?" Rey asked.

"Get this," Finn said, "She's got an in with Kylo Ren. She's been meeting with him."

"She's been meeting with Kylo Ren?" Rey was a mixture of angry and terrified on Annika's behalf.

"Yeah, he hasn't read her mind or anything. He just trusts her. He believes her. She's really good."

"I don't know, there's something about that that feels wrong."

"Yeah, well, my sister's pretending to be a marquess in a first order base, it all feels wrong," Poe said, putting the transmission device down and walking to lean on the wall with his back to his friends. "I just...never mind."

"Poe, what's wrong?" Finn asked, coming closer to the pilot.

Poe hesitated. "Nothing. It's nothing." He lowered his voice, trying to speak only under his breath "I just hope it was best not to tell her."

"Poe, tell her what?"

"I...it's nothing." Poe left the room, but Finn and Rey weren't far behind. He wished he'd never said anything.

"Poe, what's going on? What's wrong?" Rey asked, cornering him.

Poe sighed and gave in. They weren't going to drop this. "Fine. I've been meaning to tell Annika this for a while, but when it was confirmed that she'd be leaving I didn't want to give her even more to have to worry about. She doesn't know this, but she's not completely pretending up there. She may have blocked out the memories, or hit her head, or I don't know what, but she doesn't remember where we come from. She always used to ask me to tell her stories because she felt like she didn't have a past. Like part of her was missing, you know? We're both from Yavin 4, where they still have fragments of the democratic-monarchy systems. Our father didn't have too much station, he was a soldier, but our mother was in the system. Annika and I both got an education, that's why she's so clever, and we each got taught how to put on airs. We left before she could learn how to fly or how to fight. We lost our parents going to see General Organa, they wanted to help her. When they died the General took us in and let us stay. Annika has no memory of who we really are."

Finn and Rey were silent, taking in everything they just heard. Poe hadn't officially said it, but they thought they saw what he was trying to imply.

"Poe," Rey said quietly, "Are you saying that..."

"Yes," He said turning away. "Annika's really a Marquess."


	11. Chapter 11

**Hi, things went to shit but I'm still trash so have this.**

He needed her. He didn't quite know to what extent, and he preferred not to look too far into it, but he recognized now that he needed her. Lately he found himself taking the long way around just so that he could pass by the stormtrooper corridor in hopes that she might be standing serenely by the windows. Kylo didn't quite remember what they had been discussing in the meeting yesterday, but he couldn't get one moment of Annika out of his mind. There wasn't a word that she said or a gesture she made that he couldn't draw up perfectly in his mind. Kylo knew he was walking a dangerous line with his thoughts of her. He told himself that he only wished to draw out her talents and abilities in favor of the First Order, but he knew what this interest had the possibility of becoming. Perhaps it already was, he couldn't quite tell. All he knew was that this mysterious young woman had a number of qualities he admired. There was an underlying grace to everything he saw her do. Not just the physical movements, the things she said, too. She was able to manipulate the way others thought without being forceful or threatening. She found her way into people's minds without them noticing. He wanted to know how to do that. He wanted to have her finesse. In return he could offer her direction. He decided he needed to see her again. He needed to talk to her. He sent a messenger to invite her to eat with him again. He waited, rather impatiently for what seemed like forever until he heard a knock that meant one of two things. Either Annika was be at Kylo's door or the messenger was back saying she refused. The lightness of the knock lead him to lean towards the latter, but it wasn't until he opened the door that he knew for sure.

She stood in his doorway looking up to him with her brown eyes. If warmth was a color it would be the color of her eyes. Her fingers twirled around a small portion of the dark hair that floated around her, framing her face and covering her entire back. The gesture suggested nerves, but Kylo couldn't seem to believe she'd be nervous. He couldn't seem to get any words out so he just stepped aside and gestured for her to enter. He pulled a chair out for her to sit and sat next down next to her longing for the comfort of his mask.

"You did very well in the meeting yesterday," He said, regaining his internal composure.

"Oh," She said, "Thank you."

"You were better than I thought you would be. Not that I thought you'd be bad, or anything."

"Thank you."

They sat for a moment while he thought about how he wanted to approach the situation. He decided to just throw himself at it and hope he could make it work.

"I believe you and I each have something to gain from the other. I've said it before and your performance at the meeting has only reaffirmed my belief."

Annika looked away from the cold depth of his eyes to take a moment to think. She was very unsure about where this was going. She dropped her facade just long enough for Kylo to see it. He took her hand in his, pulling her gaze back from the floor.

"The night you came here you said you wanted an opportunity. Back home you weren't being utilized to your full potential, or any potential, but when I look into your eyes I see something that can propel you to greatness. You just need a direction to go in and someone to help keep you on a path. I can give you that. I can help you be something greater than you've ever imagined, but I need you to help me too. I need you to teach me something."

"What's that?" She asked quietly, nervousness fading into a dreamlike state.

"You have control. I need it. I have power, but I can't control it enough to stay on the path I need to. You know how to speak and move exactly how you mean to. You find what you want and you make it there. I need that. I need you to teach me that."

Annika started to look away but Kylo caught her face in his hand.

"Don't second guess, Annika. You know you can do great things, you wouldn't have come to us if you didn't. You didn't have anything to strive towards before you came to us. Now you could finally put your tack and your passion to use. You could be someone here. I could help you."

"In exchange for me helping you?"

"Exactly," Kylo said, realizing how close to him he pulled her. The wonder in her eyes was quite possibly the most beautiful thing he could remember ever seeing. Fire was starting to catch, both in Annika and in Kylo. She was beginning to think about all the things she might be able to accomplish and he was beginning to realize that he had fallen firmly onto one side of the line.

'Control,' He thought, 'I need control, I know that.'

'Can you really do great things?' She thought.

Kylo fought against himself to control the urge he felt growing inside him, but in the end he lost the fight. Annika watched his eyes soften into something akin to nervousness and before she realized something else had happened she felt his lips against hers. It was soft, and sweet, and all too brief. She pulled him back and wrapped her arms around his neck, tangling a hand into his soft black hair as his hands found her waist and pulled her closer.

'She can teach me control another time,' He thought to himself.


	12. Chapter 12

**Wow, did things really go to shit. Anyways, I'm nothing if not persistent so the space trash is back.**

'You could stay here tonight if you wish. I wouldn't say no.'

Annika walked the long distance back to her room running Kylo's words back through her mind. As she entered the room she saw the purplish greenish reflection coming off of a small hand mirror. Anyone looking at it would think it was just a catch of the light, but Annika knew it meant she had received a message on the disguised transmitter. She wasn't sure if she should answer it. She laid herself down on her bed with her back to the door and watched the transmitter intently as if she could will the problem away.

She wasn't sure if she should tell them. She didn't want to be found out. If she sent back reports of all of the First Order's plans immediately after starting to attend meetings then the Order's generals would know right away that she was a spy. She could be killed. The thought of Kylo's dark eyes that she had watched melt into a soft, welcoming gaze hardening and shooting daggers at her. Then the thought that she may never see those eyes again found it's way into Annika's thoughts. There was a pile of reasons not to tell the resistance about the plans the First order made. The ones Annika helped them make. She decided not to send word over, but at the same time, she knew she had to say something. They would think she was dead if she didn't respond.

'Don't yet have enough details to make any sort of account. All is safe for now.'

Annika sent the message and turned the mirror over so as to more easily ignore and purple green reflections that might shine off of it. She laid back at let her gaze drift to the ceiling and her thoughts drift to the things Kylo told her last night.

'You can do great things.'

That one sentence kept rolling over in Annika's mind. Never in her life had she been told that. The closest she'd been told was 'We'll find something for you, just be patient' from her brother. Well, she didn't want to be patient anymore. She wanted to be appreciated for once

'He's playing you,' She heard her brother saying in her head.

He wasn't though. She could feel in Kylo's kiss and see in his eyes that he meant every word he said to her. Was it dangerous for Annika to be working this closely with Kylo Ren? Yes. Would she be flirting with the dark side if she pushed forward on a path that included him? Yes. Did she want to continue anyway? Absolutely. She just had this feeling inside pulling her towards him. She felt like she should be afraid, but she wasn't. It just felt so warm to think about Kylo and what he could help her be. Besides, didn't he say Annika had incredible control? She would stop herself and cut everything off before she fell to the dark side. And working closely with Kylo Ren would put her in a great place to pull him back, wouldn't it? It just all felt so right.

Annika pulled back the memory of his softened eyes as she drifted into a deep, restful sleep. She didn't notice the frantic transmission from her brother asking for more information. She did not send him a response until the next morning, and even then it was very short and let go of almost no information. She didn't know he stayed up all night, unable to sleep out of concern. Not even Finn could calm Poe down.


	13. Chapter 13

**The space trash is back**

Her slight, gentle silhouette and dark features were in stark contrast with the vast room in front of her full of white soldiers toiling away. Annika stood serenely back in the hall with the windows. She had requested that General Hux give her clearance, but when the man said no she asked Kylo to make the arrangements for her. It helped to be close to someone with so much power. It had been three days since he had first kissed her, and they had been meeting regularly each day since. Annika would come to the hallway and watch the sea of stormtroopers for a while before Kylo came to meet her there. He would always bow his head and take her hand. He had told her that if his mask weren't in the way he would've kissed her hand, her being a noble after all. The two would walk through the halls and discuss the first order and control and potential and many wonderful things before Kylo would take the young woman into a room where the walls were lined with weapons. He showed her how to hold a lightsaber and use a pistol. Annika pretended Poe hadn't already taught her all about pistols. Kylo mainly focussed on lightsabers. They didn't use real ones, he first wanted to teach her how to hold and wield a sword. She had a basic understanding from play fighting with any sticks her and Poe could find growing up, but she felt that a Marquess should have a much stronger understanding than she did. Luckily Annika had a grace about her that allowed her to pretend she already understood what was happening.

"You're humoring me," Kylo said on the second day.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You're humoring me. You know this already, don't you?" His tone was level, but Annika could read a touch of something strange across his face. It was something akin to lightheartedness, but how could someone as dark as Kylo Ren be lighthearted?

"Well that's nonsense," She responded, circling him playfully. "I understood a bit of how to handle a sword, yes, but I didn't really know how to use one practically until now." She stopped in front of him, gazing up at him.

"Well then you do an excellent job of pretending," he said, watching her eyes flicker.

"I control what I let other people see of me," she said, "That's what you wanted from me, right? Control?"

"That's one thing I want from you," He said, pulling her closer to him with his free hand, not for a moment breaking eye contact.

"You should control your emotions," she breathed.

"You should teach me how," he returned.

He leaned forward, stealing a kiss from the striking girl who was so willing to give it to him.

"Careful, you don't know who could walk in."

"They don't scare me," he said, "You're more significant to me than any random stormtrooper that might come this way."

Annika remembered the day and the kiss and the kisses that came after as she waited for him to come meet her today, but when someone finally rounded the corner into the hallways it wasn't Kylo Ren, but a stormtrooper.

"Marquess, your presence has been requested," He said.

"By whom?"

"General Phasma, my lady."

Annika regarded him quizzically. She couldn't imagine what General Phasma might want from her. Her mind drifted to Kylo, who should be on his way now. Those meetings aren't on any record, and Annika was fairly certain that Kylo hadn't told anyone bout them, so she couldn't exactly say she had a prior engagement.

"Very well," she said, "Take me to her."

The stormtrooper lead her through halls and down corners until Annika was certain they

were going in circles. Finally, they came to a stop and the stormtrooper let her into a room with General Phasma and a few others. The General looked up as Annika entered.

"Oh good," the General said, "They were able to find you."

"How did you know where I would be?"

"We didn't. I sent a messenger to your room as well, but I remembered Hux mentioning you had s fondness for the stormtrooper corridor."

"Did he?"

"Well, he more complained endlessly about your insistence on having access."

Annika sighed and walked closer to the table the General was standing over. "I don't know why he's so adamant that I should be kept out."

"He doesn't care that much about the hall as he does that you're beating him. You came in and challenged him. You refuse to bow to his whims and 'know your place' as he would have you do. That's one of the things I admire about you. I like to see another young woman around here with some fire in her eyes."

There it was again. 'Fire in your eyes' Kylo's words echoed in Annika's head as General Phasma spoke to her. It wasn't just Kylo who saw it in her. Phasma requested it, Hux felt challenged by it. Annika's smile grew as she set to work with General Phasma drafting rudimentary plans for raid formations. Her mind drifted away from Kylo Ren and even farther away from her brother back home with the resistance. She didn't think for a moment about how she was helping the First Order figure out how best to take down the people who sent her here. By the time she and Phasma finished hours had slipped away. Only then did she remember her meeting with Kylo.

Annika followed the stormtrooper leading her to the room where Kylo had been teaching her to use a sword. He hadn't still been there when she finished with Phasma, but Annika had sent a messenger to ask him to meet her there. She arrived first. She walked the border of the room examining the weapons lining the walls. She stopped at one of the lightsabers. There weren't very many, but they all looked so ornate. She reached out gently to brush her fingers against it.

"I would be careful with those," Kylo said, startling the young woman who then turned to face him. He removed his helmet and crossed to room to meet her where she stood.

"Please don't be mad at me," She said.

"Because you were admiring the lightsabers?"

"Because I missed our meeting earlier."

Kylo stopped a few feet away from Annika and dropped his gaze to the floor. "I wasn't happy," He said, coldly. "I...you probably wouldn't be very happy with me."

Annika was taken aback. Did he place actual stock in her opinion of him? "What did you do?" She asked, approaching him slowly.

"I can't...I need you to teach me. I need control. They look at me with fear, but they're not afraid because I'm powerful or intimidating. They're afraid because I'm unstable. They're afraid because I may snap at any second and they don't want to be the closest thing to me. I need you to teach me control."

Annika lifted his chin gently and pulled his gaze from the floor to her warm brown eyes full of comfort and concern. "Why me?"

"Because you can control everything you do. You don't know everything, and you can't possibly be good at everything, but you can control yourself. You can control the way everyone perceives you so they might think you know everything. Most significantly you can do it so easily. No one else notices anything's happening at all. Even the people like Hux who don't like you, they don't see you. You are the master of your own image and of your mind and body and I need that."

"If it's so unnoticeable then why do you see it so clearly?"

He held tightly to her body. It was different than the lighthearted, playful grip he held on her yesterday. There was something stronger in this one, some sort of longing. "Because you fascinate me. I've been watching you whenever I see you, watching you manipulate the thinking of everyone you come into contact with. You win your favor or you earn their interest or their distaste, but, either way, you get what you need from them. I need to know how to do that."

"I can teach you," She said.

Their lips met and they melted together passionately.

If only they had know General Hux had been watching.


	14. Chapter 14

**The space trash is persistent and managed to write another chapter already**

"Ridiculous!" General Hux stormed into the room yelling. Phasma pulled her gaze away from the plans she and Annika had hashed out. "Preposterous! Absolutely inappropriate!"

"What are you saying?" General Phasma asked. She was never interested in playing games and Hux was slow getting to the point.

"Ren and that girl!"

"What about them?"

Hux took a moment to recollect his composure before turning to the other few people in the room who had all looked up to stare at the spectacle Hux was making. "Clear the room," he said in a more level tone.

"Hux, what's going on?"

"That girl, that little witch, that 'Marquess' and Ren."

"Yes, you said that, what about them?" Hux couldn't see this because of her mask, by Phasma was rolling her eyes at his high-strung shenanigans.

"I saw them, alone. He was holding her. His mask was off. They were kissing. It's absolutely preposterous, it can't be allowed."

"Why can't it be allowed?"

"She's clearly manipulating him. Think about it, Phasma! Whenever she doesn't get what she wants, who does she go to? Ren. Who agreed to let her stay here? Ren. Now she's kissing him? She's a spy! She's clearly a spy. She's trying to extract information from him. He's getting that girl into meetings and restricted areas and who knows what else. They have to be stopped."

"Hux, you have no evidence she's a spy." Phasma turned her attention back to her work.

"She called off my raid. She told us not to attack the Resistance base."

"She said we should wait until we're stronger, and she was right. Everyone was in agreement except for you, she was just the first to say anything."

"She's a spy, I'm telling you."

"Hux, calm down."

"She has to be stopped now while she still doesn't know that we know."

"Hux, I cannot comply with your witch hunt."

"Why are you turning your back on this?"

"Because she's proving to be a useful ally."

"She's been nothing but trouble since the moment her ship registered on our radar."

"She's been in here with me making plans all day, you fool," Phasma said, raising her voice and turning sharply to General Hux.

Hux was surprised to hear the perpetually levelheaded Phasma raising her voice. "She's what?"

"The young Marquess Annika has been in here with me all day making plans for the future, for when we regain our strength. She's proven herself useful. All the time she has spent observing the training of our stormtroopers has given her a very in-depth understanding of what they're capable of. She never saw much action on Biduren so she had to research what they can do herself. She's quite observant and quite clever. She's a good planner. She's not a spy." Phasma turned back to the work in front of her.

"How can you be certain she's not trying to sabotage our plans?"

"I can't, but she's got quite an offensive mind, so if she is a spy for the Resistance then she's not doing them any favors."

"Then how do you explain her off kissing Ren?"

"You and I may not understand it, but they're both people, people have feelings. Ren has proven on more than one occasion that he has more emotions than most. It's entirely possible Snoke's apprentice has met his match."

Hux searched his mind for a way to convince his fellow general he was right, but he came up with nothing. "Fine," he said, "Don't believe me. But when I reveal her as a Resistance spy you're all going to be sorry." The man turned and huffed out of the room. How could she not believe him? The signs are all there. Why does no one else see it?


	15. Chapter 15

**Worry not, the space trash never goes away. Sometimes she's just busy. Have this, and maybe check out me Jane by Design piece I'm putting up later tonight, yeah?**

"Focus."

Annika's steady voice echoed through Kylo's head. His eyes were closed, but he could hear her pacing around him.

"Think about it, really think."

"Focus."

"Concentrate."

"Breathe and just think."

"Focus."

"Think about what you do to try and get your way, but don't think about you. Think about the people around you. How did they respond to you? What do you want them to do instead? Think of someone who got people to react the way you want people to react and think about how they got that reaction."

"I don't think it's working," He said, opening his eyes.

"You wanted me to help you, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, this is what I do. It's not an instant solution, you have to keep trying. Focus"

He closed his eyes again, conjuring up memories of meetings and councils where he had tried to yell and threaten his way to what he wanted. He saw the fire he was pushing up to the brim behind his eyes, he knew it was there even behind the mask. He took a mental step back from what he knew was happening and the fire disappeared. If you didn't know it was there it was invisible. He didn't come off as intimidating as he wanted to,only like he wanted to be intimidating. He blurred himself out in his mind and brought those around him into focus. They were not convinced of his power or intentions. They were tired, bored of him. Afraid, perhaps, but only that he would snap at them. They weren't afraid of what he could do, just of his temper. He realized fairly suddenly that while the lowly officers and civilians he threatened might truly hold a fear for Kylo Ren in their hearts the officers of the First Order did not. That needed to change.

"Think of someone else, someone who did it right."

Kylo's thoughts shifted. He needed to find someone who everyone followed. His immediate reaction was his grandfather, but he had been trying to be like his grandfather up until now and it had gotten him nowhere. He needed someone new.

He thought about General Hux.

'No, he's shifty," He thought. "He's a rat. He's polarizing. I need someone with everyone on their side.'

He thought next about Captain Phasma. 'She's strong,' He thought, 'But she's a soldier. She's quiet. Her power is found in silence and calmness. It's closer, but still not quite right.'

"Focus"

Kylo pictured Annika in his mind. Her long, dark hair, her gentle features, her eyes, warm with the fire inside her. That was a fire anyone could see. She was calm, but not quiet, and she had a natural commanding presence about her. Somehow this young girl who seemed so soft and inconsequential had swept in and broken every rule that stood in her way. The First Order stood ready and waiting at her fingertips. She spoke with eloquence and steadiness, betraying no emotion, and she questioned everything. She tore at the fabric of the rules and plans she disagreed with and then presented her own alternatives. Were her ideas perfect? No. But no one can think to question them when she seems so right. It would take a long time for Kylo to become what he saw Annika was, but he didn't have a long time to wait.

He opened his eyes.

"I know what I need to do," He said, calmly. Annika stopped pacing and looked him in the eyes. "I know how I need to change, but until I get there I need you." He stood and walked to her. "I need you to help me fight my battles until I learn. I need you, Annika."


	16. Chapter 16

**Wow chapter 16, I didn't think I'd make it this far. I wonder how far it'll go.**

Poe Dameron liked to think he was a good brother. He thought that he was supportive of his sister's restless ambition and that he took good care of her when they were on their own. He thought he was a kind brother. Poe Dameron also considered himself a reasonable man. Being in battle as often as he usually was he had learned to keep a level head in any situation. It took a lot to get him riled up. But as supportive as he tried to be, and as hard as it was to make him lose his cool, he couldn't seem to pull himself together over this whole spy thing. He was happy Annika had finally found a way to help out, and he was happy she was having ideas and being involved, but he was absolutely terrified of what could be happening to her all the way out there. All he did was worry. He wandered through the small space he and his sister has shared imagining the worst. He was like a ghost. Lucky for him Finn and Rey were around to make sure he ate and continued to take care of himself. He was so distracted that he could barely remember anything or hold a conversation for very long. He was cracking under the severity of the whole situation. It came to the point where Poe just couldn't take it anymore; He had to talk to Leia.

When her ace pilot stormed over to the planning tables, Leia was taken aback by what she saw. He looked like a wreck. His hair was disheveled, there were bags under his eyes, and Finn was flanking him, desperately trying to calm him down. It wasn't working.

"General Organa, we need to pull my sister out of there right now," He said.

To say Leia was shocked would be a complete overstatement.

"We can't, it's too dangerous," She said simply, turning back to her work. Usually, that would be enough for someone as reasonable as Poe, but he was not currently himself.

"No, what's too dangerous is letting my sister stay there. What's too dangerous was sending her in the first place."

"Annika's a smart young woman, she can handle herself. I have faith."

"We haven't heard from her in over a week. We've sent her countless messages and she never responds. My sister could be in danger."

"Poe, I think you need to calm down."

"Calm down? I can't calm down, I've been going crazy for days! I can't get my head on straight because all I can think about is my sister out there in the hands of killers! She won't send us transmission updates anymore, and the last one she sent was almost entirely open-ended. No one has any idea what she's doing!"

"Well whatever it is, it's working," Leia said sternly, turning to face him.

Poe was slightly taken aback. "W-what?" He stammered.

"Haven't you wondered why you've had so much time to sit around and wallow in your imagination?"

"Well-"

"It's because we're not being attacked. No one is. Everything has been quiet since Annika infiltrated the first order. She may not be getting us information, but she's doing something up there, and it's working."

"But General Organa, we can't just leave my sister out there with no contact, something needs to be done."

Leia sighed and looked the young man over. "Do you realize you've yet to refer to Annika by name?"

"What?"

"You keep referring to her only as your sister."

"Well, yeah, because she's my little sister."

"That may be true, Poe, but first and foremost she's a person. She exists outside of her familial relationship with you, and you need to recognize that. This is the right move for us right now, you know that. You wouldn't have brought her to me or vouched for her if you didn't think this was the right move. If it was anyone else out there besides Annika you would be fine right now."

"But it's not anyone else, it's her."

"And that's not going to change by your incessant worrying. Now go clean yourself up."

Poe turned harshly and stormed away, followed closely by Finn.

Leia called out to him just before he was out of earshot. "She's changed, Poe. She's not the broken little girl you once came to me with. She's a bright young woman now. She'll be all right."

 **I've decided that my life is definitively lacking in structure. In an attempt to add some structure, I'm going to be doing more regular updates. I'll be updating this story every Tuesday, my Jane by Design fic every Wednesday, and Thursday and Friday will be for the two new Fairy Tail fics I've got in the works. Stay tuned to see if space trash can learn to live a proper, structured life.**


	17. Chapter 17

**So far, I'm still on schedule. I might be space trash, but I'm doing well. Also, I'm not sure in which chapter I went from referring to myself as "star wars trash" to just general "space trash," but the later is probably a more accurate description, space is rad.**

"Tell her."

"I don't know if I should."

"It's a good idea, you should go to her."

"Maybe..."

Kylo had spent the past several minutes sitting with Annika and trying to convince her to go see Captain Pasma.

"What are you afraid of?"

"What if she thinks it's a bad idea?"

"It isn't"

"But what if she thinks it is?"

"Then you can speak with her about how to improve it."

They were working through some more complex swordsmanship techniques when Annika had shared with Kylo an idea she had. Kylo watched the young woman practically glow as she spoke and was thoroughly impressed by what she had come up with.

"Can't you recommend it?"

"I didn't think you were afraid of anything."

"What would make you think that?"

"Your incredible confidence and unwavering resolve."

"You're exaggerating."

He had suggested Annika speak with Phasma about the idea and suddenly Annika seemed to shrink two sizes down.

"You wanted me to help your spark grow into something incredible, yes?"

"Yes."

"So let me try. You need to go to Phasma. You've spoken with her about strategy before, why is now any different?"

"She called me last time."

"And?"

"And I don't know if I can just go and approach her like this."

Kylo took a moment to think over exactly what Annika was struggling with before it dawned on him.

"You're hesitant to involve yourself."

Annika said nothing. She looked to the ground, nervous to meet his eyes. Kylo moved closer to her and wrapped one of her hands in his.

"Why are you so nervous to speak up like this? You've been to meetings before, they-"

"You were the one who suggested I start attending, and the one who got me in."

"But you were the one who held your own and impressed the whole room. You were the on Phasma called on to strategize one on one. You were the one who I sought out for help to become better. What makes you nervous about getting yourself involved?"

Annika took a moment to gather her thoughts before turning back to him.

"Back home I used to try to be involved in what was happening. I would volunteer for everything they needed people for, and I would try and try but there was nothing I was right for. I was told no time and time again until eventually I suppose I just stopped trying. I was no longer proactive. I'd step in here and there if someone asked me to, but rarely would I come up with my own plans. I shocked everyone, myself most of all when I decided to leave."

"I though you snuck away from your home, how do you know how they reacted?"

If Annika was taken off guard by the question then she was wonderful at hiding it because Kylo didn't notice the small wave of panic that flashed through her momentarily.

"I can only assume. No one would have expected anything of me. It's entirely possible that many of the people I grew up in the presence of didn't remember who I was or that I even existed. I was very quiet. Very reserved. Very held back."

Kylo lifted her face with his hand, forcing her eyes to meet his.

"Then leave that behind. You left that home to get away from that life. Leave behind you all that came from living there. You're here now. You have a new life, and with it comes new people who are already very impressed with you. Continue to impress them. Please, go to Phasma."

Annika studied Kylo's gaze for a long time, thinking over his words in her mind. A smile split across Annika's face as she leaned up to place a soft kiss against Kylo's lips. He was right. This was her opportunity to be someone new, someone stronger, and someone braver.

"I'll see Phasma."

 **All right, get yourselves ready because things are about to start getting crazy. You've got a week to prepare.**


	18. Chapter 18

**I had this written yesterday, I swear.**

It's an interesting sensation to remember something. It washes over you and drowns you in the life you didn't know you'd forgotten. Small, seemingly insignificant things chip away at the wall until suddenly it's thin enough to collapse. You don't even realize something is missing, but then you wonder how you could possibly have lived without it.

When he was teaching her how to wield a sword, Kylo had told Annika that she looked as if she'd had known proper swordsmanship. She couldn't remember ever so much as seeing a sword, but thinking back she had known exactly how to hold it. She had known how to control it. It felt natural. She assumed she was just concentrating on coming across as graceful and collected.

Grace.

Annika had such grace. She glided ever where she walked. She looked like she was floating. She sat was beautiful posture and a composed face without even thinking. It was second nature. The only world she knew was the resistance base on the outskirts of the Illenium system, but she could speak with beautiful eloquence. Annika hadn't really noticed.

Then there was her conversation with Captain Phasma.

When Annika had come to Phasma with her latest strategy ideas Phasma had said something that triggered a thought from deep inside Annika and suddenly the wall came crashing down.

"You've got quite a mind for strategy."

Something about it felt familiar.

"I can tell you've had a top-notch education."

There wasn't much in the way of schools in the resistance. Almost everyone was already grown.

"You would've made a fine leader."

But this was all pretend, right?

"It's a shame you had to leave the nobility."

Yes, it was, wasn't it. It was a shame she didn't get to have the life she should have had after her parents died. After all, growing up in nobility had...

But she hadn't grown up in nobility...had she?

She didn't remember much before the first order, but she had always asked Poe about their childhood. He told her they were poor. Their father was a shopkeeper and their mother a seamstress. But now images flooded into her mind of her father in military uniforms and her mother in expensive dresses. She saw high councils and lessons with her brother. She saw grand hallways and marble floor. She saw a canopy around her bed. As she walked back to her room she began to see faces and hear voices. Talk of government and mentions of her learning to lead someday. She remembered her parents leaving. She remembered getting the message they were dead. Then she left with her brother in the middle of the night to stay with General Organa and the resistance. She had wanted to stay.

Annika didn't know what to do with herself. Everything she knew about herself was wrong. Everything her brother told her about the way they'd grown up was a lie. He lied to her. She knew that for certain now. She could see every moment of her past and she knew with confidence where she came from.

Annika Dameron remembered who she was.


	19. Chapter 19

**Shit is starting to go down in the First Order**

There was a commotion on the landing deck. With long, purposeful strides, Kylo Ren made it there relatively quickly. As he turned to the landing deck silence fell. Before him was a familiar face he had not expected to see again. The Resistance pilot stood restrained in front of an archaic ship.

'What could he possibly be doing here?' Kylo thought to himself.

"My name is Poe Dameron. I'm here for my sister," Poe said, his voice ringing through the large, open chamber.

'Sister? He couldn't mean...'

"You'll have to be more specific, we have a number of scum prisoners here," Hux said.

"Don't you call her scum, you vile-"

"You're in no position to be delivering orders or threats. Now, tell us who you're looking for and maybe we can place you in a cell near hers while you wait to be executed. Or you could keep threatening us and we could kill you right now."

"He's looking for me," An unmistakably level voice floated in from the corridor moments before Annika entered the room.

"Annika!" Poe cried as a rush of relief washed over him. She was safe. Was. Now thanks to him her cover was blown. Fortunately, he didn't plan on letting her stay any longer.

"I knew it!" Hux called out, approaching the young woman. "I told you she was a spy! She's from the Resistance!"

Annika stood her ground against the approaching General. "Was," was all she said.

The chamber stood silent for a moment.

"What?" Poe finally said.

"I _was_ from the Resistance," Annika said, "I was brought there as a child before I was able to make a decision for myself. I was told I believed in their ideals. Then I came here. I no longer have any allegiance to those rebels."

"Are we supposed to believe this?" Hux asked.

"Annika, what are you saying?" Poe was dumbfounded. He hoped that this was just a way of keeping her cover.

"Take her prisoner!" Hux ordered.

"No," Kylo said to Hux before turning to Annika, "You will tell us who you are.

"Gladly. Before I begin, I assure you that my loyalties lie here with the First Order. However, when I first arrived here parts of my story were falsified. I am the Marquess Annika Sirdune of Biduren. I am the Marquess Annika Dameron of the Da-nar System. I was taken from my home at a young age by my brother, whom you see before you now. He took me to the Resistance base where I was told what to believe. My true identity and beliefs were kept from even me until recently when my memories returned. That's not to say I blame this man from hiding the truth. I was all the family he had left, he wouldn't have wanted to be at war with me. My potential was being squandered sitting in a garage in the hands of the Resistance. I was never given an opportunity to reach my full potential. But here I can do just that. Here I can embrace my full power. I came to you as a spy with the intention to send information back to the base I grew up on, but you can check the communicator in my chamber, I sent them no messages. I have instead spent my time planning and strategizing against the rebel scum with Captain Phasma. I can understand that you might be weary of trusting me now that you all know the full story, but you can read into every corner of my mind. My loyalty is here now. I belong to the first order."

"I think we've heard enough of her lies. Take her away!" Hux ordered.

"No," Kylo said, remaining calm despite everything. "She will stay with us."

"You can't be serious, Ren!"

"She has proved to us he loyalty. If she had been giving the Resistance information about us then we would be facing much more than this pathetic pilot."

"You're a fool, Ren!"

"She stays," He said, before turning to leave.

"Fine," Hux seethed, "But the pilot dies."

"No," Annika said sternly.

"Excuse me?" Hux approached the young woman. "You are in no position to be giving orders. Quite frankly you're in no position to still be here, so you're lucky that you've gotten into Ren's head. The pilot dies.

"You're not going to kill him. You're going to send him away."

"Why? So he can go find your little Resistance friends and bring them here?"

"They've no doubt realized he's gone by now, and they'll know right away where he's gone. Whether we kill him, take him prisoner, or send him away the Resistance is coming. Why waste time and resources keeping him guarded or disposing of his body and useless ship? Tie him to the ship, lock the coordinates, and send him to Da-nar."

"Da-nar no longer exists."

"I know. The system was destroyed. It's meant to be poetic. Additionally, it will strand him."

"If we let him go he could get to the Resistance."

"The resistance is coming, General Hux, regardless of what happens to the pilot."

"And he's here because of you."

"And because of him and his insufferable hastiness they'll be unprepared. One of their ace pilots and strategists just dove headfirst into the First Order base to reveal that they sent who they thought would be a spy for them deep into our ranks. They're going to try to strike us before we can get to them. They'll be rushed and without a plan. Phasma and I, however, having been planning for quite some time. We have a warning that they're on their way, and our numbers and strength are far superior. They will come and we will win. Send the pilot away, and let their strongest members leave the fight to wander blindly looking for him. Kylo Ren and I will take care of them while the rest of their ranks are dealt with by Phasma and her stormtroopers. Send the Pilot away." Annika turned away from General Hux. "Captain Phasma, prepare for a fight. They're few, but they're scrappy. And you," She rounded on Poe who had been standing in dumbstruck silence in the face of what his sister had become. "You get to live today, though I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't make it away from Da-nar. You spent my whole life lying and silencing me. Don't seem so surprised. I'm not your precious little sister anymore. You made a foolish mistake coming here. I suggest you don't repeat it. Hux will be much harder to convince next time around."

Annika turned to leave the landing deck as Hux gave orders for Poe to be tied into his ship and the coordinates to be locked to the destroyed Da-nar system. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Poe was absolutely horrified. He spent his whole life trying to protect his sister from harm, but had he really added to this? Had he caused it even? This wasn't the same young woman he had watched leave the Resistance base. The young woman leaving the large chamber was someone Poe had never even met before.

She was a monster.


	20. Chapter 20

**Wow! Emotions! Space!**

It was a lie. All of it. Kylo had suspected there were some things Annika wasn't telling him, but he hadn't thought She would admit she came from the resistance. He felt so stupid. How could he let his guard down like that?

He stormed into the nearest room he found and threw off his helmet. He wanted badly to break everything around him. He turned to lose himself in his own rage when he noticed where he was. He stopped mid-breath as he saw the swords and staffs lining the walls. This was the room where he spent all those hours 'training' Annika in swordsmanship. This is where she helped him learn control. This is where they had kissed on more than one occasion. The rage inside him slowly began to bubble down to sadness when he heard he once ring through the room.

"Kylo?"

He turned to the door and saw her there. He wanted so badly to be angry with her, but the look on her face was making it very hard. Her brows were tightly knitted together and her eyes were swimming with regret. She looked afraid to enter the room. He hadn't seen her afraid since the day she arrived at the First Order. Now he knew why she was really afraid that day.

"So was it all a lie then? Between us?" He asked.

"No," She said, "never. I wouldn't do that to you."

"But you would lie about where you were from."

"Would anyone here have let me through the doors if they knew I came from the Resistance base? Would anyone have let me live?"

Kylo began raising his voice. "That doesn't change the fact that you lied to everyone here. To me. I feel like a fool."

"I had to," Annika let her voice match the level Kylo was bringing his to.

"You could still be a spy. How can I trust you now? How can anyone trust you?"

"I'm not a spy. I was never a spy, not really. I never gave anyone information."

"You could have been sabotaging out plans."

"I helped build them up."

"You could have told me."

"I didn't know!" The room went silent as Annika caught her breath from the power behind her confession and Kylo waited, confused, for a further explanation. Annika shut the door and sank to the floor.

"I couldn't tell you about my full past because I didn't know it. My memories were being blocked out by fear, confusion, and lies from who I thought my own brother. By Poe. He told me we were refugees. He lied. Since coming here, things have been becoming clearer and clearer to me. I would get flashbacks or strange feelings when people said certain things. Other things seemed to fit too well. A sword in my hand. Planning strategies. I knew all the right words. I had already learned them. It's been tearing me up to know why. Earlier, while I was trying to work through my own thoughts and find some answers, my memories all came flooding back. Just as I was finally making sense of everything, I got word that a resistance pilot had arrived. I knew exactly who it was. Kylo, I'm sorry."

Kylo watched Annika as she sat on the floor. The young woman with such poise, grace, and control, now so broken down.

"You could've told me you were from the Alliance at least."

"I was afraid," She said, her voice quiet and trembling as she bit back tears.

"Afraid of what?" Kylo kept his voice level, but inside he felt torn apart at the sight of Annika, beautiful Annika, so strong and composed, now so vulnerable. He didn't want her to ever feel this way. But at the same time, he felt betrayed. He wanted to be mad at her almost as much as he wanted to pull her into his arms and comfort her.

"Well, for one thing, I was afraid of dying. I thought that maybe if I built up a presence and trust then I could tell the full story and people would know I'm meant to be here regardless of who originally sent me. And..." Annika looked away.

"And what?" Kylo demanded, kneeling down and gently pulling her face up to look him in the eyes.

"And I was afraid that you would hate me. I was afraid you would think I was some Resistance scum and send me away to be killed without a second glance. I was afraid I would never be able to see your face again." She reached up to place a hand on Kylo's cheek. He instinctively leaned into it.

"Read my mind," Annika said. "Read my mind. Search every inch of it. Every thought, every moment, every memory that's now there. I may have lied about where I was from, but I promise you on my life that you will not find one moment where I lied to you about how I felt. Everything I said to you about wanting to stay here with you and about wanting to work with you and help you grow, and wanting you to help me grow, that was all real. It will always be real."

"Why did you go on their mission?" Kylo asked. "Why did you agree to be their spy?"

"I had to get out. I never felt right there. I felt useless. I had to go."

"Why didn't you leave on your own?"

"I didn't have the means. Then I found an opportunity to leave that disgusting planet and make something of myself. An opportunity that turned out better than I'd ever imagined it could. An opportunity that I've now shattered to pieces." She shook his hand off and looked to the ground, pulling her hand away.

"Annika."

"I'm sorry."

"Annika, please," Kylo said, taking her cheek in his hand and lifting her face again. They locked eyes and he saw nothing but sincerity. His hand moved to cradle the back of her head as his other arm wrapped around her waist and he pulled her into a tight embrace. Kylo adjusted himself so that he was sitting an Annika curled up into him and let tears fall down her cheeks.

"Don't cry," Kylo hummed into Annika's ear, "The Resistance could be here any minute. You'll need to be strong to help lead the charge of all of your plans."


	21. Chapter 21

**It's hard to keep all of your documents in order when you're in space.**

There was a knock at the metal door.

"Sir, the resistance is approaching," Came the voice of a stormtrooper.

"We need to go," Annika said softly into Kylo's dark hair. Kylo made no move to get up, but instead held Annika tighter next to him and continued placing soft kisses against her neck.

"Kylo, their ships are here," Annika was attempting to be firm, but anyone could hear the smile breaking through her voice.

"I'm sure our troops can hold them off for just a while longer," he hummed into her smooth skin.

"If Finn has any semblance of a reason to believe Poe is here- and he's got plenty reason to believe that- then he and Rey will be on this base before any of the other ships even break out of lightspeed," Annika said, climbing out of Kylos warm embrace and off of his bed. She pulled her dress off the chair she had draped it over and slipped it over her head. Kylo walked to Annika and brushed her hair out of her eyes and back into place. He held her tan face in his pale hands and tried to take in all of her beauty, but he knew that no matter how hard he tried he would never be able to take in all of it. Everything about her, every movement, every dimple, every spark of passion, everything was absolutely beautiful to him. Kylo had never felt so empowered as when he was with Annika. He pulled her close and felt her hands lay across his still bare chest as he kissed her.

"Get dressed, Kylo," Annika laughed after they pulled apart. She slipped into her shoes and crossed toward the door, calling over her shoulder to Kylo "And don't be late."

"I wouldn't dare," He called after her.

Anikka was practically gliding as she walked through the halls, turning the now familiar corners and holding her unimaginable happiness in a small, collected smile. She felt so free. She had all the pieces to her past, and on top of that, she had a place where she was needed and content. Did she completely align with the ideals of the dark side? Maybe not, but the feeling of belonging and value she got from being with the First Order was more than enough to keep her there. Then there was Kylo. She felt so safe with him, so empowered and comforted. She would gladly rule by his side. All that was standing in the way were the rebels who held her down. Annika was on her way to intercept their trump cards. Most of the soldiers were riff raff but her brother's two friends were supposedly something to be concerned about. Luckily, they were also very predictable. They'd break off from the main group upon arrival to go look for Poe Dameron. Annika knew exactly where they would go.

"This way," Finn hissed to Rey as he lead her through the metal halls of the First Order base. He'd never been on this particular base, but they were all laid out essentially the same. If they had Poe here they would be holding him for interrogations and if he'd blown Annika's cover she'd be there too.

"Finn, what if he's not here?"

"He will be."

"How can you know that? What if they sent him away? What if they killed him or both of them?"

Finn stopped in his tracks and turned to his friend. "They're not dead. I can feel it. You can still feel them too, can't you?"

Rey stared back at Finn for a moment she let the force flow through her senses. She nodded quickly and the two continued through the halls. After a few minutes, they arrived at the interrogation rooms. They ran into the first room and hear the large mechanical doors close, trapping them in.

"Hello, Finn. And this must be Rey," The two looked up to find the source of the voice. Before them was an elegantly dressed young woman with her long dark curls and tan skin. Even though Rey had never seen or met Annika she knew that the woman before her was definitely Poe's sister.

"Annika!" Finn called, running to her and wrapping his arms around her. Annika remained still. "We've been worried sick about you. Poe's barely slept since you left. Where is he, do you know?"

"Poe's home," Annika said flatly.

"What? No, he came here," Finn replied, confused.

"Yes. Then we sent him home."

"That's impossible, we would've received word from someone at the base that he returned," Rey said.

"Oh no, we didn't send him to your home. We sent Poe Dameron to our home. The home he and I grew up in. We sent him to Da' Nar."

"You did what?" Finn cried, astonished.

"That system was destroyed!" Rey called.

"Exactly. We had no use for him, but we didn't want you heathens to be able to get him back in your ranks, so we had to remove him from the equation. Additionally, it seemed rather poetic. Da' Nar held the life that he hid from me for so long, and now it will spell his undoing."

"Did you have a part in this?" Rey asked.

The corner of Annika's mouth quirked up into a small, knowing smirk. She looked at the pair with a malicious fire burning behind her eyes. "It was my idea," She said.

"What? Annika, what are you saying?" Finn was astonished. How could she do something like that? "He's your brother!"

"He's nothing to me."

"Annika, what did they do to you? You've been with Kylo Ren, yeah? What has he done to you?"

"He's shown me opportunity," She said. She hit a button on the wall and a door behind her flew open. Across from Finn and Rey stood Kylo Ren himself. He Entered the room and the door slid closed behind him. Kylo took a place next to Annika.

"Hello again, Rey," He said, his voice thick with metallic effects

"Annika," Rey yelled, "What did you do? What did you tell him?"

"What did he do to you?" Finn cried.

"I haven't done anything vile to her. The only ones who did were that pilot and his resistance comrades."

"We never did anything to you! They helped you! They kept you safe!"

"They lied to me my whole life about who I was!" Annika yelled, "They kept me back! I couldn't do anything, I couldn't even leave the house! That's not being protected, that's being trapped!"

"Don't do this!" Rey called.

"It's already been done." She said.

Suddenly, Finn and Rey saw a bright flash of orange-red light and looked over to see Kylo Ren lunging toward them.

 **So somehow I uploaded chapter 20 twice, but here's the real chapter 21.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Space trash never dies.**

 **Also, if you haven't read the updated chapter 21 yet go read that before you read this one. Somehow I uploaded chapter 20 twice instead of uploading chapter 21. You will definitely need to read that before this chapter.**

Finn and Rey saw a bright flash of orange-red light and looked over to see Kylo Ren lunging toward them. Rey quickly drew her lightsaber and parried the blow, preventing Kylo from hitting her or Finn. As the two began to spar, Finn rushed towards Annika. He stopped in his tracks mere centimeters away from the blade of Annika's outstretched sword.

"Do people still use swords?" Finn asked nervously.

"Only as distractions," Annika responded. As soon as the words fell out of her mouth she pulled the trigger on the concealed blaster in her other hand and Finn keeled over, crying out in pain. Finn hit the floor and fell unconscious. Rey looked up from her fight with Kylo at the sound.

"Finn!" She called out. In the moment her guard was down, Kylo Ren hit Rey over the head with the hilt of his lightsaber. She collapsed onto the floor, unconscious.

"We could've easily killed them," Annika said, a twinge of disappointment in her voice.

"Patience, my love," Kylo said, opening the door and letting in a few stormtroopers who carried Finn and Rey off to a cell somewhere. "These two are useful to us. We will dispose of them eventually, but for now, we need them alive."

Annika pouted but didn't argue. The two exited the room and continued on to the next phase of their plan.

 **Hey fam, I know this is real short, but there's more coming, I promise. I mostly wanted to make sure you knew I as still here. I'm def still here.**


End file.
